From Ballot Access News:
The Oregon Secretary of State says the initiative petition for a top-two system is valid, and the measure will appear on the November 2014 ballot. This article says that proponents have already raised $547,300, although they have spent most of it on paid circulators.
Proponents’ slogan seems to be that the initiative treats all voters equally, a claim that is not true. If the top-two measure is passed, based on how it works in California and Washington, registered Democrats will almost always be able to vote for a member of their party in November. In most elections, Republicans will also. But members of minor parties won’t be able to vote for members of their party in November. Thus the idea doesn’t treat all voters equally. Almost 7% of Oregon’s voters are members of minor parties.
From the article cited, written by Anna Staver:
Oregonians could dramatically alter the way they choose candidates if a ballot initiative to open the state’s primary elections passes in November.
The open or top-two primary initiative qualified Tuesday for the November ballot with 91,716 valid signatures, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
The measure would create a new, nonpartisan primary election process where candidates from all parties appear on a single ballot. The two candidates who received the most votes in that election would advance to a general election.
“We are very happy; excited,” chief petitioner James Kelly said. “We’ve been waiting a long time.”
Washington and California both have open primaries, but Oregon voters overwhelmingly rejected a similar measure in 2008.
Top Two Primary was on the ballot in California in 2004, and it was voted down. It was on the ballot again in 2010, and that time it passed.
Just because Oregon voters rejected it once, it does not automatically mean they will again. Hopefully they will, but I suggest working as hard as possible to make sure that it gets defeated in Oregon.
The top two primary is a very bad idea. Oregon voters recognized that when they defeated the same measure in 2008 (Measure 65) by an overwhelming vote of 66-34%. Top-two blanket primaries are intended to make political party labels meaningless, thus depriving voters of the most important single piece of information that most voters rely upon in making their decisions on candidates. They also allow complete strangers to hijack the names of all parties on the ballot, including minor parties (which Petition 55 actually destroys, thus reducing the choices available on all ballots). The “new” measure is 99.9% the same as Measure 65 of 2008 (and is exactly the same in all meaningful respects), the information at http://saveoregonsdemocracy.org is very relevant, particularly http://saveoregonsdemocracy.org/danmeek.html
The Louisianans on LNC have argued that top two is not so bad, not understanding the difference between the Louisiana system and what is happening on the West coast, apparently.
Sam Goldstein has chimed in that LNC should not spend $1200 in Oregon while Oregon Libertarians are at odds with each other. I disagree, of course.
Top two is anathema to all third parties and a disaster for the Libertarian Party wherever it raises its ugly head.
Best of luck to the many Libertarians in Oregon in defeating this referendum.
Such as when the LNC tries to qualify a separate presidential ballot line in Oregon, having forfeited affiliation with a ballot-qualified state party. That’s likely to be for this presidential cycle.
July 17, 2014 at 11:52 am
Of course. The folks holding the petitioners are paid a bounty per signature. They don’t care about the cause or who signs. I care about the spiel they are paid to tell people. I witnessed Top Two AZ petitioners at different locations around Phoenix. In no case was their spiel truthful. They were paid to lie to the people by Paul Johnson and Company. Top Two people are frauds.”
I don’t know who these petitioners were, but don’t be surprised if they end up getting hired to gather petition signatures for the Libertarian Party at some point, and I would also not be surprised if they already have been in the past.
Mr Burke’s proposal is 100% on point. Our candidates get media that we would otherwise not have the funds to purchase.
As one who was heavily involved in the campaign to defeat that last “Top Two” primary ballot measure in Oregon, I can say that we cannot be complacent here. All third parties must try to nominate as many candidates as they can, encouraging them to use their campaigns as platforms to fight against this initiative.
In California and Washington State, yes. In Oregon it is not yet passed, just on the ballot. In the sense that we have to deal with it, yes, it’s here.
Its no looming on the Horizon. It is right here, right now.
LP National is starting to notice this, which is a major problem looming on the horizon.
Oregon voters have already defeat one top-two measure some years age. Let’s hope the voters look past the hype and support the right of political parties to choose their nominee’s in primaries rather trust whomever in the general election.
Of course. The folks holding the petitioners are paid a bounty per signature. They don’t care about the cause or who signs. I care about the spiel they are paid to tell people. I witnessed Top Two AZ petitioners at different locations around Phoenix. In no case was their spiel truthful. They were paid to lie to the people by Paul Johnson and Company. Top Two people are frauds.
“”Bondurant
July 17, 2014 at 9:43 am
I don’t trust anyone pushing for a Top Two election system. Those I have encountered have been frauds and liars. They prey upon an ignorant voter base. Here in Arizona, paid Top Two petitioners were not completely honest about what it was. They duped many voters into signing the petitions.”
Keep in mind that at least a few of those paid petitioners who worked on Top Two in Arizona have also gotten paid to gather signatures for the Libertarian Party.
I don’t trust anyone pushing for a Top Two election system. Those I have encountered have been frauds and liars. They prey upon an ignorant voter base. Here in Arizona, paid Top Two petitioners were not completely honest about what it was. They duped many voters into signing the petitions. Thankfully, come election day, people wised up and kicked Top Two in the balls.
If it passes, the voters will soon come to regret it. Open primary…what a crock! PT Barnum was right. How people don’t see that it’s a tightening of the stranglehold of the powers that be is beyond me.